Prof. Rainer Lohmann
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, USA
Director of the URI-led Superfund Research Program Center on the Sources, Transport, Exposure and Effects of PFAS (STEEP)
Abstract: Organic contaminants, in particular persistent organic pollutants (POPs), adversely affect water quality and aquatic food webs across the globe. So far, there were no globally consistent information available on concentrations of dissolved POPs in the waters of the world. AQUA-GAPS/MONET was hence initiated to establish a global monitoring program for various dissolved organic pollutants using silicone rubber samplers. For target polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), contrasting trends were observed. Concentrations of PCBs were, by and large, reflective of past usage, implying limited transport away from source regions. For several groups of OCPs, including hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dieldrin, and chlordanes, evidence of cold condensation with elevated concentrations in the Arctic region was observed. The presence of breakdown products of endosulfan and DDT seemed to mostly indicate recent usage in the mid latitudes (Lohmann et al., 2023). Different results emerged for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polycyclic musks. Greatest concentrations of PAHs were typically observed in North American and Europe. PAHs were stronger influenced by proximity to population density, while musks were not regularly detected, but indicated closeness to point sources. Overall, AQUA-GAPS/MONET has demonstrated that passive samplers can be used as a global monitoring tool, with future work aiming to explore regional processes and long-term trends.
Host：Assist. Prof. Qingbin Yuan
Early Career Board Member
Nanjing University
Time：10:00am August 2, 2023 (Beijing time)
Zoom ID: 816 9975 7155
Bilibili: 25002335
